ELearning For Social Work Students: A CrossDisciplinary Collaboration

1
E-Learning For Social Work Students A
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
Paper presented by Susie Andretta, Donna Dustin
and Stephen Fox Department of Applied Social
Sciences London Metropolitan University
2
Aims of strategy

• Use of open access web based resources to develop
  information literacy within a subject specific
  module
• Use a virtual learning environment, web ct, to
  support learning across all modules on new degree
• Promote the development of lifelong learning
  competences
• Underpinned by cross disciplinary collaboration

3
Contextual Issues and hazards

• Information Technology needs to be integrated
  into subject teaching
• Leadership needs to be exercised by senior
  management
• Ownership of a computer by students is central
  and the so called digital divide cannot be
  overlooked
• The impact of training on time of staff is
  immense
• Confidence in using computers amongst staff is
  not high

Source The Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
(2002)
4
Some false assumptions !

• Cheaper
• Less resource intensive than face to face
  teaching
• Training for staff and students needs to focus on
  technical know how
• Staff resistance is not important
• Students will pick up the use of C and IT
• The internet is a rich source of information
• C and IT can resolve pedagogic issues
• It is easy and quick to develop
• C and IT is a good thing !
• All students have ready access to internet

5
New for Old
Source Peacock and Littlejohn (2001)
Introduction to the use of Communications and
Information Technology for Teaching and Learning
http//www.elicit.scotcit.ac.uk/modules/intro/welc
ome.htm
6
Information Literacy Model
The Society of College, National and University
Libraries (SCONUL) model
7
Information Literacyfoundation of e-learning

• Definition of Information Literacy
• the ability to locate, evaluate, and use
  information to become independent life-long
  learners (Kirk 2002 1).

• Effective interaction with information is
  particularly important from a social workers
  perspective

• IL provision based on iteration
• Diagnostic questionnaire
• Interactive learning resources

8
Information Literacy for Social Work

• Integration by assessment
• Develop basic research skills to locate and
  evaluate literature regarding service user
  groups.
• Portfolio of research tasks assessing Information
  Literacy skills required to explore and evaluate
  the literature on the relationship between
  political/economic factors and the oppression
  experienced by specific service user groups.
• Beyond the European Computer Driving Licence
  (ECDL) - because
•  Initiatives like the ECDL reinforce the idea
  that the technology and the techniques required
  to work the technology, are the central concern
  of the learning process, rather than developing
  both the information skills required to work
  within an information environment, and the
  technical understanding required to use the
  appropriate tools (Reffel, 2003125).  

9
Information Literacy for Social Work

• Research outcome
• Students profile (57 responses) - 61 full time
  70 mature students 81 female
• Level of IL skills on entry
• Basic word processing 95 email 86
• Basic web navigation 80 bookmark sites 74
• Unable to use a metasearch engine 83
• Unable to access the deep web 98
• Basic Author/title search 83
• Unable to use the Newspaper database 79
• Unable to evaluate relevance of information 53

10
Information Literacy for Social Work

• Short-term impact
• Increased IL skills and confidence in searching
  for information using a range of sources
• Improved overall results
• IL for Social Work website

• Long-term impact
• Collaboration of staff involved in IL provision
• Curriculum development - IL provision beyond
  certificate level (research skills route)

11
Information Literacy for Social Work

• What the research did not cover
• Level of impact on the students overall academic
  performance
• Level of impact on SW practitioners

12
Implementing a Virtual Learning Environment

• Staff concerns included
• Staff technical expertise was limited - an audit
  of current familiarly revealed relatively basic
  IT skills
• Time -the learning of new technical skills is
  demanding and staff feels highly constrained in
  this area
• Fear that making access to lecture notes etc
  easier might leads to student avoiding teaching

13
What needed to be done ?

• What it is hoped to be achieved i.e. 'the vision'
• Identify the learning needs of students
• Ensure Technical support
• Locate Resources time is not free !
• Staff training and support
• Market the development with key stakeholders i.e.
  students
• Manage the change process
• Locating it within the wider organizational C and
  IT strategy of University
• Decide on the medium
• Training for students

14
Evaluating Options

• Virtual Learning Environment i.e. Webct a
  specific VLE which restricts access to current
  students that can be customised
• Building a website open access via the web,
  greater flexibility and requires use of web
  design software

15

• Administration
• Store Data
• Track use
• Selective Release

16
Web Ct

• On line password protected resource for all
  modules for registered students
• Focus students on specific web based learning
  resources
• Communicate
• Conduct assessments
• Distribute course information and learning
  materials
• Administer aspects of your course and track
  students
• But
• It is a closed environment that can only be
  access by registered students and thus prevents
  the wider community, including service users and
  carers accessing the learning materials
• It has an interface that cannot be easily adapted
  to suite the style of the particular programme

17
Lessons to be learnt

• Institutional support
• Team support and learning
• Access to resources
• Time
• Emphasise pedagogic and cultural issues
• Utilise expertise within University
• Identify added Value for both students and
  teachers
• Keep it simple and manageable

18
Initial findings

• 78 of students report using WebCT at least
  weekly
• Technical difficulties using web ct off campus
• Slow response from some staff
• 12 cited either lack of own skills or lack of
  home computer as an impediment to using web ct
• 77 rated their overall satisfaction with WebCT
  as either good or excellent but want more !

19
The future

• Be quicker and slicker !
• More interactive mediums discussions groups,use
  of digital video material,use of web based
  exercises
• An ongoing process of improvement

20
Conclusions

• Information Literacy needs to be integrated into
  subject teaching
• Diagnostic assessments offer a way of providing
  indivualised learning plans for students
• Collaboration between subject areas and
  specialists is essential
• Leadership is key
• Ownership of a computer by student and technical
  skills are issues for some students
• Allow for impact of training on time of staff
• Staff confidence and competence will develop
  incrementally and at different rates

21
Implications for the future

• Universities are doing more than simply
  introducing a new way of learning, they are
  asking their key stakeholders (students and
  employees) to consider renegotiating the
  fundamental obligations of knowledge acquisition
  along with the codes of custom and practice which
  traditionally regulated the delivery of mass
  undergraduate teaching in HE (Kewel, Oliver and
  Conole 1999 36)

22
Last word

• If Information Literacy is developed sensitively
  to support face-to-face learning, it can offer an
  important tool to both supplement and embed
  learning whilst supporting the development of
  research minded practitioners.  

23
ILIT

• Diagnostic questionnaire ICT,searching and
  evaluating
• Resources to improve skills included ECDL,in
  house resources and internet detective
• ILIT webpage resource

24
WebCT Login Page

• Web ct